


Act II

by E_Salvatore



Series: Eleanor's Advent Calendar Challenge [5]
Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, all that good shit, briefly mentioned Lydia/Gigi subplot, lil bit of angst lil bit of pining, seven years after LBD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-02-11 19:06:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12941748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_Salvatore/pseuds/E_Salvatore
Summary: "You know how the second act in a musical is always when it all goes to shit? Well, I think this is my second act. The company's struggling, my mom might have cancer, and I'm getting a divorce.""My name is Lizzie Bennet, and I... have no idea how I got here."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Eleanor's Advent Calendar Challenge: join me as I attempt to carry out My Worst Idea Ever and write something new every single day from now until Christmas. This is Day 5.

"You know how the second act in a musical is always when it all goes to shit? Well, I think this is my second act. The company's struggling, my mom might have cancer, and I'm getting a divorce.”

“My name is Lizzie Bennet, and I... have no idea how I got here."

 

 

 

Lizzie finds herself staring blankly into the camera for the longest time after her intro. It’s less painful, somehow, to summarize the clusterfuck her life has turned into in such a casual, concise manner, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.

“So…” She finally says once she realizes she has about five minutes of dead air to cut out. “It’s been a while, huh? Four years, I guess. My last vlog was…”

Her last vlog was uploaded three years after her original run came to an end, a short and sweet message she and Darcy had filmed for her viewers on the day of their wedding.

“Well, I’m sure you all remember what my last vlog was about,” Lizzie smiles, a brittle, hollow thing. “I guess the real question is… _why now_? Why start vlogging again? And the answer to that would be… well, you guys helped me work through some serious crap the last time, so here’s hoping you can work your magic again.”

She decides to go with the boring stuff first, slowly build up to the more personal and painful developments in her life. “It’s been a rough year for the industry-”

Her phone starts buzzing on the table next to her. “Oh, look, it’s a video call from Jane! Hey, Jane,” She greets her sister with a better attempt at a smile, feeling it grow into something genuine at the sight of a radiant Jane and her tiny baby bump. “Heads-up: you’re on camera.”

 _“Oh! Um, hi, everyone. It’s so good to see you_ ,” Jane says with a tiny wave. _“I’m glad you decided to film again, Lizzie.”_

“So are my investors, I’m sure,” She mutters through a blatantly fake, unnaturally wide smile aimed at the viewers.

Jane’s brow furrows. _“Are things still not-”_

“No, no, it’s fine!” Lizzie hurries to reassure Jane; the last thing she wants is to stress her pregnant sister out with her problems. “Or it will be,” She adds when that fails to smooth out the lines on Jane’s forehead. “Seriously, Jane, it’s not as bad as it was. It’s getting better,” In teeny tiny increments that might not be enough to save the company from its worst year since the first one, but still - better.

 _“Okay, Lizzie,”_ Her sister finally says. _“I’ll take your word for it, but only because I’ll get to ask you about it in person soon enough. That’s actually why I called – Bing wants to know if you’re getting in on Thursday or Friday. He and the kids found this pizza place that they can’t wait to show you.”_

“Pizza sounds great! Give me a second,” She turns back to her table and pulls her planner towards her. “I’m flying on… Thursday. Does that work for you guys? I know it’s a school night and all-”

_“It’s perfect, Lizzie. It’s not as if the girls will go to bed early even if we stay in, anyway. You know how excited they get when their Aunt Lizzie comes to visit.”_

The mention of Jane’s twins has her feeling better than she has all week. “Speaking of whom, how _are_ my favorite nieces?”

 _“They’re your_ only _nieces, Lizzie_ ,” A mock-exasperated Jane tells her, even as a smile tugs at her lips.

“That doesn’t mean they can’t be my favorite,” Lizzie counters with a wide grin. “Can I get them anything? Or you? Or Bing? I’d bring that gelato you like so much, but I don’t think it’s half as good in liquid form,” She laughs, her nose scrunching up at the thought.

 _“Just bring yourself; you know you’re more than enough for us. As for the gelato… I guess I’ll just have to visit you before this one,”_ Her sister affectionately taps her stomach, _“starts getting to be too much to handle.”_

“Hey!” She exclaims. “Don’t talk about Lil Bing like that.”

 _“I wish you would stop calling_ _him that,”_ Jane sighs, shaking her head with a soft smile.

“Bing thinks it’s funny,” Lizzie reminds her.

 _“Only because-”_ Jane suddenly frowns and looks away from the camera. _“I’m so sorry, Lizzie, but I think the twins just woke up from their nap. I’ll talk to you soon?”_

“Go tend to my favorite nieces, Jane!” She orders with a laugh, making a shooing motion at her sister. “Tell them Aunt Lizzie says hi and she can’t wait to see them and their awesome mom and dad.”

Jane beams at her. _“Oh, Lizzie. I can’t wait to see you too. Say hi to Dar-”_

A horrified Jane has always been somewhat of a comical sight to Lizzie. Her already-huge eyes grow wide, she slaps a hand to her mouth in a motion that would seem exaggerated if anyone else did it, and her lips start to tremble.

_“I’m so sorry-”_

It takes a ridiculous amount of effort to keep a small, reassuring smile on her face for her sister’s sake. “Jane, it’s okay,” She says firmly. “Really. Force of habit, right? You can’t control it. Now go! I think I hear crying.”

 _“Oh, Lizzie,”_ Jane shakes her head at her, with a smile that’s sad and fond and knowing. _“I’ll see you soon,”_ She says, throwing in another small wave before she disconnects the call.

Lizzie stares at her phone for what feels like an hour before she looks up to find the camera blinking at her. “So! That was Jane, featuring my unborn nephew. She hasn’t changed one bit, has she? And sure, I'm mainly talking about the ‘it’s so good to see you’ thing, but also: seriously, my sister hasn’t aged a day since she first met Bing. Is that what true love does to you? Or is she bathing in the blood of sacrificial virgins?"

She stops for a beat before bursting into laughter. “Jane? Sacrificing virgins for any purpose, let alone a selfish one? I mean, this is the woman who _still_ won’t kill a fly! Even her kids don’t stomp on bugs. Which is to be expected, really, when you’ve got Jane and Bing as parents. Those two are just _so_ -”

“Excuse me, Lizzie.”

Her heart stops. For one awful, heart-wrenching, confused moment, it actually stops and takes her all the way back to that first year of their acquaintance, the way those words would fill her first with dread, then anticipation, and finally hope.

Now they fill her with shock and pain and regret.

“Will!” Lizzie turns to get a glimpse of her unexpected visitor. “I was just-”

“Filming,” Her estranged husband points out with a small quirk of his lips. “May I?” He gestures at the bench she’s brought out from storage for this very purpose, and sits down right next to her once she’s wordlessly motioned for him to join her.

“This certainly brings back memories,” Darcy says after a while; she recognizes his _oh god this is awkward I need to say something_ voice and wonders how the hell they got to this point, how they managed to move so far away from their past only to end up back here again.

“Yeah, I just… I’ve been thinking of filming again but I didn’t know what to talk about and then, you know, with the company and my mom and Jane’s baby and- and…”

 _And us getting a divorce_ , she’d almost said. God, sometimes she just wants to bang her head against a wall until her stupid, stupid brain is all mush and jelly and exposed organic matter slowly dripping to the ground.

“Um, what brings you here?” Lizzie asks instead, studiously looking off-camera. She spies her planner within reach and lunges for it like she’s lost at sea and the little leather-bound book is a lifeboat. “Were we supposed to-”

She spies the entry in her rushed chicken scratch just as Darcy clears his throat and speaks. “We were scheduled to have lunch today, to discuss…” His eyes find the camera for a second, right before they seek her out.

“To discuss who gets what,” Lizzie remembers. “They know,” She says quietly, answering his unspoken question without sparing him a single glance.

“Of course,” Darcy replies, barely a whisper. She can still feel the burn of his eyes on her skin. “If this is a bad time for you, we can always reschedule-”

“No!” She blurts out a little too forcefully, a little too quickly. “I mean, no, this isn’t a bad time for me at all. Let me just-”

Lizzie jerks forward and turns off the camera, grabs her stuff and follows Darcy out of the office and all the way to the little café around the corner where they used to meet for lunch all the time, where they’re about to have lunch one last time and finalize the details of their divorce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, LBD fandom! This is my first time hanging out with you guys. I hope y'all like me. And this tiny fic. Please be gentle to my tiny fic, I promise it'll end well.
> 
> Comments would be very, very nice and would reassure me of the fact that I'm not just shouting (or in this case, typing) into an uncaring void.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eleanor's Advent Calendar Challenge: join me as I attempt to carry out My Worst Idea Ever and write something new every single day from now until Christmas. This is Day 10.

“I’m surrounded by mugs of tea, there are two _adorable_ three-year-olds sleeping upstairs, and a certain someone is making fresh snickerdoodles as we speak. This might just be my favorite place in the whole wide world.”

“My name is Lizzie Bennet, and welcome to the Bennet-Lee home!”

 

 

 

“Here, I made you some hot cocoa. I figured you’ve got enough tea to last you for a while,” Jane shrugs with a sheepish smile, handing Lizzie a warm mug topped with three giant marshmallows.

“Aw, Jane!” Lizzie coos, eagerly taking the mug from her sister. “See what I mean?” She tells the camera. “This is the best place _ever_. Hey,” She gently tugs at Jane’s wrist. “Come sit with me for a bit. Say hi to your fans.”

Jane settles down next to her, the both of them squeezed together despite the fact that they’re sitting on a very roomy sofa. “They’re _your_ fans, Lizzie. Hi, Lizzie’s fans,” She waves at the camera, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“They’re watching _my_ show, but I think we all know _you_ ’re their favorite. It’s okay,” Lizzie whispers to her audience in a conspiratorial tone. “She’s everyone’s favorite. I don’t blame you.”

“Lizzie-”

“Anyway!” She says brightly, drowning out her sister’s blushing protests. “Thanks again for letting me film in your home. And what a home it is, am I right?” Lizzie gushes, adopting the familiar exaggerated manner of their mother for that last sentence. “A townhouse in _N Y C_ ,” She drawls, emphasizing each separate letter. “My Jane certainly _ha_ s done well for herself, wouldn’t you say?” Lizzie is careful to be gentle when she bumps Jane’s shoulder, hyperaware of her fragile little nephew.

“What are you doing?” Jane laughs softly, bumping Lizzie’s shoulder in return. “You don’t even have the hat on. You’re going to confuse your viewers.”

Lizzie drops the act with a sigh. “I really didn’t wanna have to deal with checking anything in,” She explains to the camera. “So unfortunately, the props had to stay at home. It was _not_ an easy decision, trust me. But… Mom’s hat alone would have taken up half of my carry-on.”

Jane suddenly loses her smile. “Speaking of Mom,” She says quietly, addressing Lizzie rather than the camera. “Dad says they’re getting the biopsy results back tomorrow. I know she doesn’t want us to worry but I still wish we could be with her when she finds out.”

“Oh, honey,” Lizzie sets her mug down on the coffee table in front of them, where it joins the four cups of tea Jane has brought her in the last few hours. “Mom’s gonna be just fine,” She claims, wrapping her arms around Jane. “I mean, it’s _Mom_. She’s on a mission to get Lydia married and she’s not letting _anything_ get in the way of that.”

“I don’t think that’s how cancer works, Lizzie,” Jane murmurs gently, her lips twitching with effort to keep a frown at bay. She’s about to say more when- “Oh,” Her smile returns as she grabs Lizzie’s hand and places it on her stomach. “Can you feel that?”

Lizzie’s eyes grow wide with excitement as she waits patiently for her nephew to move. It takes a while, but eventually there’s an impressive little kick at her hand. “Lil Bing just kicked me!” She tells her audience. “How long’s he been doing that for?”

“A few weeks,” Jane shrugs, a small smile playing on her lips as she cradles her bump. “But he’s only just gotten strong enough for anyone other than me to feel it. It’s nice to finally be able to share this with Bing. Oh, and everyone else, of course,” She adds, looking up at Lizzie.

“I don’t even mind being an afterthought,” Lizzie beams. “You two have waited so long for this that you deserve to be in your happy little bubble where there’s no one else to share Lil Bing with,” She assures Jane, wrapping an arm around her sister’s shoulder.

Jane smiles at the camera. “It took us a while to get pregnant again,” She admits quietly. “The girls were a happy accident and of course I wouldn’t change a single thing about how they came into our lives, but they were so unexpected and statistically unlikely that Bing and I just figured we’d hardly even need to try for another baby. But it took us a little over a year this time around. It’s all been worth it, of course,” Her hands trace tiny circles over her stomach as she sighs happily. “But it was definitely a challenge.”

Lizzie is uncomfortably aware of the fact that she’s dropped her eyes to a patch of floor somewhere off-camera; even more so of the fact that she can’t will herself to look back at the camera even though she knows she should. “Guess it runs in the family,” She mutters under her breath, not realizing that both Jane and the camera are close enough to hear her.

“Lizzie,” Jane murmurs, all color draining out of her face. She takes her sister’s hand in her own and gives her an apologetic squeeze. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, Jane, it’s okay,” Lizzie rushes to comfort her, finally tearing her eyes away from the floor to focus on poor Jane, face all scrunched up in guilt and pain. “That was so wrong of me. I shouldn’t even have brought it up. And I’m so happy for you and Bing, you know that, right?” She squeezes Jane’s hand in return, offering her a shaky smile as unshed tears obscure her vision. “Really, truly happy.”

“I know,” Her sister whispers, her own eyes filling up with tears. “I never doubted that, not for a single moment.”

Their heavy silence is quickly and mercifully cut short by the sound of the front door closing, followed by footsteps approaching the living room.

“Whoa,” Bing exclaims, brow furrowing in concern as his eyes flit from one red-eyed Bennet sister to the other. “What’s going on here?” He asks, coming to sit next to Jane.

“Just, you know,” Lizzie says as Jane swipes away tears and rubs at her eyes, shaking her head with a reassuring smile as Bing fusses over her, “talking about how happy we are to finally have Lil Bing in the family.”

Bing smiles in relief. “In that case,” He wraps an arm around Jane’s waist as she leans into him, his palm resting on the swell of her stomach, “I’ll join you. Honestly, after seeing what Jane went through the last time, not to mention my stint in the OB-GYN department, I’m just amazed and so, so thankful that she’s choosing to do this again. I’m in awe of your strength and everything you’re putting yourself through to add to our family,” He tells a blushing Jane as Lizzie averts her eyes; it’s too private, too sincere a moment for her to look at – and just the slightest bit too painful to bear, in light of her fresh wounds.

“Oh, hey,” Bing says a few seconds later, smiling at the camera. “More letters to Charlotte, huh?” He asks Lizzie teasingly before waving at the audience. “Hi, Charlotte! Hi, rest of the Internet!”

Lizzie and Jane laugh as they watch Bing assure the audience that things aren’t usually this sappy here in the Bennet-Lee home. “All right, I’ll leave you ladies to wrap this up while I go get the girls ready for dinner. Nursery, right?” He checks with Jane, who simply nods with a smile. “Okay. Bye, Charlotte and everyone else on the Internet!” Bing waves at the camera once more before leaving the living room.

“He’s right,” Lizzie tells her viewers with an apologetic smile. “It’s time for us to wrap this up and go check out _the best pizza place in the world_ , according to two very tiny and very trustworthy sources.”

“I don’t know about either of those things,” Jane laughs. “They seem to be getting bigger each day,” She sighs. “And they’re not exactly pizza experts just yet. Anyway,” She picks up two of the abandoned tea mugs, ignoring Lizzie’s protests. “I’m just gonna clean up a bit before we leave. Bye, everyone,” She smiles at the camera. “It was nice to see you again.”

Lizzie reaches out for Jane’s wrist as she moves to get up from the sofa. “Hey, do you want me to leave out the part about you and Bing trying?” She asks quietly, ignoring the camera. “I know things got pretty up close and personal the last time around, but you can keep things more private this time. I have the editing skills to do that now.”

Jane is silent for a moment as she nibbles on her lower lip. “When we were trying,” She finally says with a small smile, “stories like these were what gave me hope and kept me going. Maybe there’s someone out there who could use a little hope,” She turns to the camera for a few seconds, her tiny smile still in place. “Keep it in,” Jane tells Lizzie with a decisive nod before disappearing into the kitchen.

“That’s Jane for you,” Lizzie offers the camera a smile a while later, shaking herself out of a reverie. “Impossibly strong and hopeful no matter what life throws at her. I wish I could be more like her,” She sighs quietly, her smile dimming as she reaches forward to switch off the camera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is... unbelievably late. The original plan was to update every five days and have the last chapter up by Christmas. I'm not sure if that's still happening, but I'm gonna try my very best to meet that goal. Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments the first time around, and please feel free to reach out again! I love interacting with this fandom, now that I've finally joined it.


	3. Chapter 3

“You know, it really shouldn’t be that big of a deal for a lady to show up at work wearing the exact same clothes as yesterday. Maybe I’ve got two sets of the same outfit. Maybe I was running late this morning. Maybe I just never left work! I bet that’s what everyone would think if a _guy_ wore the same outfit two days in a row.”

“And just because said lady was spotted being dropped off by her… partner? Ex? Estranged husband? Whatever. Just because said lady was spotted with a certain individual this morning doesn’t mean everyone’s allowed to jump to conclusions and feed the rumor mill.”

“My name is Lizzie Bennet, and it is _totally_ normal for exes to have breakfast meetings–”

                “GUESS WHO?!”

 

 

 

Lizzie watches Lydia take a seat next to her, preening and blowing air kisses to the audience for old times’ sake. “You _do_ know that knocking is a thing, right?” She asks, her lips twitching with amusement.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Her sister shrugs, giving the camera one last wink before she reaches out to give Lizzie a side hug. “So, what did I miss?”

“Nothing much, I just started filming really,” Lizzie claims, flashing the camera a quick deer-in-headlights look. Knowing Lydia and her total lack of filter even at the age of twenty-eight, it’s probably for the best if they don’t discuss last night with an audience.

“Great! Jane got a ton of screen time in your last video; it’s only fair if I’m in most of this one. So…” Lydia drawls, an impish smirk forming on her lips. “What’s this I hear about exes and breakfast meetings?”

The warning smile she flashes Lydia feels a little too tight, and Lizzie knows even before she can try to salvage the situation that she’s set herself up for a disaster. “I was just telling my viewers that it’s totally normal for exes to have breakfast meetings sometimes, especially when you’re both too busy during the day and you really need to get the details for your divorce ironed out ASAP.”

To her surprise, Lydia nods along. “Yeah, sure, that sounds reasonable.”

“Right? And sometimes, because exes can be civil and nice, maybe one of them will volunteer to drop the other off at work after breakfast,” She concludes with a pleased, almost smug, smile.

Really, she should have seen it coming.

Lydia whips out her phone from her pocket. “ _Except_ ,” She says, holding up her phone to the camera before a horrified Lizzie can stop her. “That’s totally not what this all-caps, panicky text from this morning says.”

And there, in all its all-caps, panicky glory, is the string of messages Lizzie sent to the group chat she shares with her sisters and Charlotte: 

> 02:47 AM: _HELP_  
>  02:48 AM: _I FUCKED UP_  
>  02:48 AM: _I FUCKED UP BIG TIME_  
>  02:49 AM: _ **I SLEPT WITH MY HUSBAND**_

She’s really beginning to regret her past self’s choice to bold that last bit for emphasis.

“Lydia!” Lizzie shrieks, lunging for the phone. Her little sister moves quickly, hiding her phone away before she can get anywhere near it. “That’s _private_ ,” She hisses, shooting a glare at the youngest Bennet. Sometimes, she feels a warm and fuzzy sense of pride when she looks at Lydia and sees how much her baby sister has grown. Other times, she just wants to strangle her. 

“Private?” Lydia snorts. “It’s the age of the Internet and we’re vloggers. Besides, your viewers come to you for the full story, not this ‘exes can have breakfast together’ crap. It’s been three weeks since you started posting again, and they still don’t know what happened between you and Darcy. Even _I_ don’t know what really happened,” She adds, and it’s impossible to ignore the note of hurt in Lydia’s voice. Even after all these years, Lizzie’s first instinct is still to turn to Charlotte and Jane whenever something happens, and she forgets sometimes how left out that makes Lydia feel.

Lizzie sighs. “It’s…” Her eyes land on the camera for a brief second before they dart away to her lap, where the folds of her skirt hide how she’s nervously wringing her hands. “It’s hard to explain. I always thought that it’d be something big, you know? Like we’d fight about money, or some other stupid but important thing, and we’d just know immediately that it was over between us. But it wasn’t one big thing, it wasn’t a clean cut. It was all these little things that just kept building up for months and years, until one day we just realized things weren’t working anymore, hadn’t been for a long time even though neither of us could pinpoint the exact date. I don’t know when…” A lump forms in her throat as she turns to Lydia, her sister all wide eyes and pale cheeks, horror and sorrow competing for control of her expression. “My marriage is over, and I can’t even tell you when or how it happened, not really,” She forces a smile, small and sad though it may be, in a half-hearted attempt to reassure Lydia that she’s okay.

Lydia reaches out and takes Lizzie’s hands in her own. “Lizzie, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” She says quietly, her fingers twitching nervously even as she attempts to comfort her older sister.

“It’s okay,” Lizzie assures her with another smile, equally small but more sincere this time. A good twenty seconds pass in silence before she turns to the camera with a rueful grin. “Wow, between this week and the last, these vlogs have really changed in tone, huh?” She quips at the camera. “Welcome to _The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: the Adult Years_.”

“Adulting sucks,” Lydia agrees emphatically, shaking off the weight of her misstep. “Which is why I need your help.”

Lizzie raises a disbelieving brow at her audience. “ _My_ help? Really? In case you haven’t noticed, my life is kind of falling to pieces right now. I don’t know if _I’d_ ask me for help.”

“Yeah, but you’re the only one I know with extensive experience when it comes to dealing with the Darcys and stupid feeling stuff,” Her little sister mutters the last bit almost reluctantly, crossing her arms as her eyes fall somewhere off-camera. “So I’m kinda stuck with you.”

“Stupid feeling stuff?” Lizzie echoes, her nose scrunched up in confusion until it suddenly hits her. “Oh my god, did you and Gigi–”

“No!” Lydia cuts in, nearly screaming her denial. “I mean… yes? But it’s not like anything really _happened_ , so… ugh, this is bullshit!” She huffs, visibly stomping her foot in frustration.

“Oh boy,” Her older sister exhales heavily. “I definitely remember that feeling. But are you sure you want to talk about this on camera? I mean, I can always edit it out but we could just go for lunch now, I can finish this up later–”

Lydia shakes her head. “No, I need to do this now. If I know this video is going to be up tomorrow morning, then I’ll definitely have to talk to her about it later. And I really, really _should_ talk to her about it… right?” She asks Lizzie, her eyes wide and lost and the tiniest bit scared.

“Why don’t you tell me what _it_ is first, hmm?” Lizzie suggests gently, smoothing a lock of hair behind her sister’s ear.

“It’s so _stupid_ ,” Lydia mumbles. Lizzie waits patiently, knowing that she can always just edit the dead air out if if actually takes Lydia any longer than thirty seconds to spit it out. She counts to twelve before Lydia finally says, “I accidentally touched her hand in the car when we both reached for the radio and there was this… spark? It sounds so dumb but there was _something_. And then things got all weird and awkward and _ugh_ , I hate this.”

Lizzie can’t say she didn’t see this coming. The girls had always been pretty close, by virtue of being the youngest in their group and their shared experience with Wickham, and they’ve certainly grown closer ever since they started working together two years ago on a non-profit designed to raise awareness on proper Internet conduct. They spend nearly all of their time together these days, travelling the country to advocate for stricter laws against revenge porn and teach young people to respect each other’s privacy. Even as caught up in her own issues as she has been these past few months, it would’ve been impossible not to notice the subtle changes to Lydia’s dynamic with Gigi – the way raucous laughter would sometimes trail off into awkward silence and averted eyes, the way they’d stand too close to each other only to suddenly notice and spring apart as if they’d been electrocuted.

“What is it that you hate?” Lizzie asks slowly, carefully. “The fact that there’s a spark, or just how confusing and scary the whole thing is?”

“Everything!” Lydia claims. “This is so stupid. We’ve been friends for years, why is this suddenly so weird? Like, what the hell is this?”

Her voice is annoyed and frustrated and maybe even angry, but in her eyes Lizzie sees a different story entirely. Her little sister is scared and hesitant and begging her for help, and Lizzie – heartbroken Lizzie, slightly jaded Lizzie, Lizzie who wouldn’t trade the last seven years for the world even knowing now how it all ends –

Lizzie smiles encouragingly and gives her sister the push she needs. “I think you know exactly what this is, Lydia.”

For a short moment, there is only silence and Lizzie’s knowing smile at her viewers. And then Lydia buries her face in her hands and screams into her palms for a good while before she raises her head and stares directly into the camera.

“Oh. My. God, I _like_ -like Gigi Darcy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been nearly four months since the last update. Don't look at me, I'm too embarrassed to face y'all right now.
> 
> If anyone is actually still here, I adore you for sticking around, I'm so sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's less Lizzie/Darcy than I would've liked, and don't even ask me where this Lydia/Gigi subplot came from, but I hope it wasn't too bad for you guys.
> 
> Only two more chapters left, and I'm going to do my very best to get them written and posted within the next month or so. Until then, I'd love to hear from you guys in the comments below!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: In keeping with canonical events, you'll find mentions of James Elton, a character from LBD's sister series, _Emma Approved_ , whom Caroline got engaged to.

“Part of growing up means realizing that no matter how hard you try, you can't make everyone like you. And that's okay, because there are some people out there you won't like either.”

“So the question becomes how to coexist peacefully, especially when that person's brother marries your sister. Number one, you learn how to get along at family events. Number two, you focus on the things you have in common, like your love for your nieces, instead of your differences. And number three, you come to an unspoken agreement to never, _ever_ interact outside of family events.”

“My name is Lizzie Bennet, and why the hell is Caroline Lee on her way to see me?”

 

 

 

“Lizzie!” Caroline gushes, confidently striding into frame and settling down next to Lizzie with the usual flip of her hair. “It’s great to see you! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” She asks the camera with a smile.

“Um, yeah, two months or so,” Lizzie replies with a strained smile as Caroline keeps her focus on the camera instead of the sister-in-law she’s supposedly here to see. “So, Caroline! What brings you here?”

That finally gets her to tear her attention away from the camera. “Oh,” She says, setting her bag on her lap and rooting through it. “The baby shower, Lizzie,” Caroline reminds her, producing a planner from the depths of her oversized tote. “We’ve got so many details to work out before our sweet Jane can have the celebration she deserves.”

“Right…” Lizzie mutters dubiously as her guest goes back to addressing the camera instead. “But we’ve been handling this through email for two months now. Is there any reason you had to come all the way here? I mean,” She adds before Caroline can take personal offense to that and start her usual act. “Is everything okay? Did something go wrong?”

Caroline sighs. “You know me too well, Lizzie.” And still, her eyes remain on the camera as she sets the planner down and brings both hands to her heart. “The baby shower was just an excuse. I mean, I’m planning 90% of it so of course everything’s going perfectly fine. I’m here to talk about a more… personal matter.”

Lizzie casts a glance at the camera. “I could turn that off,” She offers, already knowing Caroline’s answer.

“No, no, it’s fine. This is our confession, is it not? This is where we come to reveal our deepest, most personal issues and share our pain with the world,” Caroline throws in a sad smile for good measure and okay, now Lizzie’s nervous.

“So…” She begins reluctantly. It looks like this episode has been hijacked. “How can I help you, Caroline?”

Caroline turns to her by the slightest bit, careful to keep her face in view. She takes Lizzie’s hand in her own and says, “You’re the only one who can understand what I’m going through right now, Lizzie. I just need someone to listen.”

An audience, then. Isn’t that what Caroline’s always here for?

“It’s been,” Caroline starts, her voice shaky. She inhales slowly and closes her eyes for a good five seconds. “It’s been a rough few months for James and me.”

It takes Lizzie longer than it should to recognize James as James Elton, Caroline’s husband. She’s met ‘the Senator’, as Caroline is fond of referring to him, a handful of times at most. Nine out of the ten times Lizzie finds herself feeling sorry for Caroline usually revolve around her husband being a no-show yet again at one family event or another, when she finds Caroline quietly and dejectedly whispering to her brother, _he promised. He promised he’d show up_.

“I’m sure you’ve heard that an exploratory committee has been formed,” Caroline tells her and no, Lizzie had _not_ heard that.

“He’s running for president?”

Caroline shoots her a sharp look. “He’s _exploring_ the _possibility_ of running for president,” She clarifies, forcefully emphasizing all the right words one does when one is most likely going to run for president but wants to play coy about it. Lizzie’s never quite gotten the point of it all, but clearly it’s important enough for Caroline to break character.

“Right,” Lizzie says faintly, unwilling to engage.

“Anyway,” Caroline settles back into her subdued version. “It’s been hard on us, now that he’s so busy with the committee and the Senate, of course. We were planning to adopt this year, but I just don’t see it happening. How can we set aside the time for children when we can’t even set aside time for each other? Right, Lizzie?” She turns her big, earnest eyes on Lizzie in a request for… sympathy? Empathy? Just how much does Caroline know about what happened between her and Darcy, anyway?

“I…” As expected, something flashes in Caroline’s eyes at the knowledge that she’s caught Lizzie off guard and rendered her speechless. But it’s a dull, barely-there spark of satisfaction and vindication, one that can’t hide the actual fear in her eyes or the bags under them or the way her hair is just the slightest bit less perfect than usual.

Caroline Lee wants an audience, yes, but she also wants help and reassurance and… support, maybe.

“Make the time, Caroline,” Lizzie finally says, trying to find it in herself to play nice just this once. “It might not seem like a big issue, and maybe you tell yourself it’ll pass eventually and things will be okay again but… don’t risk it. If you really care about your marriage, if it’s really tearing you up this much, he should know and he should care and he should work on it with you.”

For a while there, she finds herself just… looking at Caroline, a moment of solidarity passing between them. They’re never going to be friends, but that doesn’t mean she wants to see this woman hurt. And for once, Caroline chooses not to hurt her either. There are a dozen snarky things she could have said in response to Lizzie giving her marriage advice, but instead–

“I will,” Caroline says quietly. She reaches for Lizzie’s hand and squeezes, just once. “Thank you.”

And then, because things are getting just too weird for the both of them, Caroline picks up her planner and flips to a bookmarked page. “I _do_ still need to talk to you about the video you’re supposed to put together for the shower. It’s only two months away, Lizzie, really, how much longer is it going to take for me to get a rough cut–”

Oh good, the world’s back to normal.

 

* * *

 

Later that day, after being forced to put up with Caroline for two whole hours and barely getting any work done, Lizzie resigns herself to staying late yet again. She’s still got a contract renewal to look over, and a proposal that has to be ready by next week, and an episode that needs editing if she plans to upload it as scheduled.

At least she’ll be alone soon, once everyone else has left for the day, and the solitude will let her get lost in her work. But for now, she just has to film an outro for the video. It won’t take long, maybe just some rambling on how Caroline is human too, after all, and then she’ll have all the footage she needs to cut the video.

As usual, all of her plans go flying out the window the minute there’s a knock on her door.

“Hello, Lizzie. I hope I’m not interrupting?”

Sometimes it feels like this whole divorce thing has pushed Darcy to visit her at work more often now than he ever did before. “Hey!” She says, and immediately winces at how loud and overly cheery she sounds. “What’s up?”

“May I?” Darcy gestures at the bench.

“Oh yeah, sure, please, sit down,” Lizzie finds herself rambling in her mad panic to subtly scoot aside and put more space between them.

It’s the first time she’s seen him since he dropped her off at her office last week.

Darcy acknowledges the camera with a smile and a nod before he turns to her. “I… I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s why I asked to meet last week, but evidently we ended up getting… sidetracked.”

“Right,” Lizzie murmurs absently, heat rushing to her cheeks. She clears her throat and shoots her audience a tense smile for the sole purpose of avoiding Darcy’s eyes for a moment. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“It’s about Pemberley, actually. And your company too, hopefully,” Darcy announces, instantly regaining her full attention. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Pemberley’s focus has shifted from creating content to creating platforms to host and disseminate content.”

“Yeah, you guys are really good at making things go viral,” Lizzie says, more for her viewers’ benefit than anything else.

Darcy smiles. “I like to think we have Gigi to thank for that. But the board isn’t comfortable with us leaving behind content creation entirely, and to make up for it they have suggested that we bring in a third party. The outside company will collaborate with our in-house team to create new content together, as well as serve as a consultant on our ongoing projects. Lizzie…” He pauses when he catches her eye, and she watches him blink away personal distractions. “The board would like to offer you a partnership with Pemberley Digital.”

“Oh,” She hears herself saying distantly. “Oh.”

“Would you… be interested in such a partnership?” Darcy asks almost hesitantly. _Nervously_ , she corrects herself.

“I…” A partnership with Pemberley Digital could change everything. A partnership with the biggest new media company around could help her keep her whole team and maybe even give them bonuses this year. But there’s a reason she’s never considered it before, a reason she’s never asked–

“This has nothing to do with… us, right?”

Darcy shakes his head. “Not at all, I promise. As CEO I was personally involved in researching the best potential partners and creating a shortlist, but I recused myself from the final decision-making. Fitz and Gigi _did_ push for you, but the board would not have agreed with them unless they felt you were the best possible candidate.”

“That’s,” Lizzie feels like she’s choking on relief. “That’s great,” She finally manages, a smile finally blooming on her face. “That’s amazing!” It takes her a second too long to realize that in her newfound excitement, she’s launched herself at Darcy.

She pulls away from the hug as soon as she comes to her senses, and carefully does _not_ overthink the way it takes him a little too long to let go of her, the way he seems almost reluctant to draw his hands back.

“I’ll,” Darcy clears his throat. “I’ll have my office set up a meeting, then. You’ll be working with Fitz, mainly.” It sounds like a subtle reassurance that this won’t happen again, that the partnership won’t expose them to an endless string of uncomfortable and awkward encounters like this one.

“Fitz?” Lizzie echoes in confusion. “I thought I’d be working with the content team?”

Darcy stands up. “Fitz has recently transferred to content. He’s the head of department now.”

She should’ve known that. If she hadn’t been avoiding Fitz ever since the break-up, she _would_ have known that. “Oh. That’s great! It’ll be nice to work with him.”

“It always is,” Darcy agrees, and then he holds a hand out.

A handshake. Her husband wants to shake her hand.

“Right,” Lizzie mumbles, practically jumping to her feet. She shakes Darcy’s hand, thanks him for the opportunity, even walks him to the door – it’s all painfully professional.

Once the door is securely closed behind her, Lizzie throws herself back on the bench and stares at the camera for a good fifteen seconds, trying – and failing – to process what just happened. Finally, she asks her viewers:

“What the hell did I just agree to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for your comments last week - it made me so happy to know that you guys are still around, and that I'm finally able to give you the ending you deserve. Speaking of endings: you might have noticed that the chapter count has gone from 5 to 6. I decided we're going to need an epilogue, so there will be two more chapters after this. If all goes according to plan (code for _if real life doesn't get in the way_ ), this story will be completed by the end of this week.
> 
> Again, thank you for reading and commenting. As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter in the comments below!


	5. Chapter 5

“I feel like we never take _be careful what you wish for_ as seriously as we should. Case in point: a while ago, I wished Darcy and I could spend more time together. Now I’m going to be spending two days a week in Pemberley for the foreseeable future, but it’s too late.”

                “Or is it?”

“Well, that’s what you’re here to help me figure out. Oh come on, you guys didn’t really think I would try to figure this out without my bestie, did you? Charlotte, do your thing.”

                “Gladly. Her name is Lizzie Bennet, and she’s in denial. _Again_.”

“Hey!”

                “You _so_ are.”

 

 

 

“So!” Lizzie beams. “Everyone say hi to Charlotte, who took two whole days off from work to come visit me because she’s the best bestie ever.”

“I’ve been meaning to take some time off anyway,” Charlotte claims in her usual bashful way, sparing the camera a smile before turning to Lizzie. “Besides, when your friend accidentally… _reconnects_ with her estranged husband, it becomes clear that you can’t leave her to her own devices. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here, really.”

Lizzie lets the _reconnect_ bit slide in light of everything else. “Well, you know me. I’m not the best at thinking things through. With that said, it’s time to let Charlotte do the thinking for me!” She announces to her viewers. “So, tell us, O Wise Bestie: why do you think I’m in denial?”

Charlotte quirks an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? I’m not going to hold back,” She warns.

“Yup,” Lizzie nods. “Hit me.”

“Okay,” Charlotte inhales, bracing herself. “Well, number one, you hooked up with him. I’ve known you literally since birth, and Lizzie Bennet does _not_ hook up with someone she’s already gotten over.”

“True,” Lizzie concedes after some consideration. “But we _have_ been married for four years, you don’t just get over someone like that. I know I’m not over him, I just don’t know how long it’s going to take for that to happen.”

Charlotte sighs. “Fine,” She mutters. “Let’s keep going then. Number two, have you _seen_ yourselves? I know for a fact you’ve been editing these videos yourself, so there’s no way you could’ve missed all those longing glances – from both parties, I should add.”

It takes her a while to gather her thoughts in response to that. “They’re not _longing_. They’re just… awkward. It’s very awkward being in a room with your soon-to-be ex, okay?”

“And that brings us to my third point,” Charlotte says immediately. “If this were truly over, he wouldn’t be your _soon-to-be_ ex, Lizzie. It’s been at least two months since you separated, but some part of you is still holding _on_ and that’s why you can’t bring yourself to see him as your ex, because that would mean relegating him to your past.”

Lizzie glares at her best friend. “You’re irritatingly good at this, did you know that?”

Said best friend merely shrugs. “We’ve known each other for thirty-one years now. You can’t hide anything from me, Lizzie.”

“Okay, fine,” She says after a moment. “So maybe I’m not totally done with this marriage. But it doesn’t matter, because he is. I mean, he’s here pretty much every week to talk about the divorce, and he’s committed to starting a _professional_ relationship with me, and–”

“So basically,” Charlotte speaks up with a knowing smile when Lizzie falters, her mind finally connecting the dots. “He’s coming up with every possible excuse to see you and he’s already figured out a way to keep you in his life even after the divorce. What was that you were saying about him being done with your marriage?”

Lizzie turns her focus from the camera to Charlotte, trading in her wide-eyed look for another glare as she does. “God, I hate you,” she says to a painfully smug-looking Charlotte.

“Nah, you love me,” her too-smart-for-her-own-good best friend counters easily. “Now come on, if you’re all done crawling your way out of denial I’d really like to have lunch now.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Lizzie sighs, eyeing her camera. She’s going to need some time to figure out how to edit this anyway, and it’s not like she’s in the right state of mind to film an outro right now... especially since she hasn’t decided whether or not to keep her epiphany in. “Let’s go for lunch,” She mutters, leaning forward to turn off her camera.

“Do you need me to get that?” Charlotte asks, her lips twitching with an impish grin. “Wouldn’t want the Internet to get another cleavage shot.”

“ _Charlotte!_ ”

 

* * *

 

After lunch, she asks Charlotte if they can film another video.

“Just in case I don’t feel like sharing the one from earlier,” Lizzie shrugs as they start recording. “And no,” She adds before Charlotte can protest, “I’m not going to ignore it, I just… think maybe Darcy deserves to be the first one to hear that I’m having second thoughts about the divorce. And he deserves to hear it from me-me, not Internet-me.”

“I’m glad you said that,” Charlotte says, wincing when Lizzie narrows her eyes at her suspiciously. “Because I _might_ have texted Darcy while we were at lunch.”

“Charlotte Lu, what have you _done_?”

“Nothing that isn’t for your own good! Lizzie, I’ve been watching you two for weeks now. Frankly, it’s ridiculous. And everyone else agrees with me.” Her phone lights up with an incoming message, prompting Charlotte to head for the door. “Okay, he’s on his way up. I’ll give you two some privacy. Talk! Discuss! Be adults!”

And before Lizzie can voice any further protest, Charlotte closes the door behind her.

She turns to the camera. “O- _kay_. This is it, Lizzie Bennet. You’re a thirty-one-year-old grown-up with her own goddamn business. You can handle this. You can talk to your husband and tell him you want him to still be your husband. You can do this,” Lizzie nods confidently, a mask that lasts all of two seconds before she starts panicking. “No, no, I can’t. _I_ ’m the one who asked for a divorce, for god’s sake. You can’t just _take_ that back, right? Right?” She asks her viewers desperately.

The thing with having viewers is, the feedback is amazing and helpful and incredibly supportive but _not in real time_. The camera stares back at her, offering nothing but a distorted reflection. “This isn’t working,” Lizzie sighs, burying her face in her hands just as someone knocks on her door.

“Lizzie, may I come in?”

It’s Darcy, of course it is. Lizzie drops her hands back down and to her horror, finds her cheeks wet with tears. “Um,” She quickly swipes the embarrassing evidence of her breakdown away. “Sure, come on in!”

“I… hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Darcy says, closing the door behind him. He remains frozen in place though, giving Lizzie just enough time to compose herself.

“I should be the one saying that to you,” She grimaces, waving for him to take a seat next to her. “I’m so sorry Charlotte pulled you away from work, I had no idea she–”

Darcy holds up a hand. “Please, don’t blame Charlotte. I have a confession to make.”

Has there ever been a more ominous string of words? Lizzie thinks not. “Um… okay.”

“Charlotte and I have been in contact for the past two weeks,” Darcy reveals, steadily avoiding her eyes. “Well, at first it was just Charlotte. In the last week she’s brought your sisters on board as well.”

“You – my sisters…? What?” Lizzie shakes her head, trying to make sense of the idea that Darcy has been communicating with Charlotte and her sisters behind her back.

“After…” He finally looks up, gulping nervously as he meets her eye. “After what happened between us two weeks ago, I began to wonder if maybe… if maybe there was still hope.”

“Hope?”

He nods. “Hope… for us. I could not reach a conclusion on my own and neither Gigi nor Fitz had been in contact with you frequently enough to be of any help, so I turned to Charlotte.”

“And my sisters,” Lizzie reminds him automatically, the rest of her experiencing a vague disconnect from her mouth. She feels… numb, maybe. Reeling from shock. Stunned. Tentatively hopeful.

“Yes, and your sisters. Charlotte said they had both spent time with you recently and suggested that they might have more information on the matter,” Darcy explains. “Lizzie, I have been trying for weeks – no, months – to make sense of what happened to us, of what’s happening now. All I know is that one minute we were happy and the next you were asking for a divorce, and everything in between is a blur. I did not want to press you at the time but if nothing else, I feel that at the very least I deserve an explanation.”

Lizzie shakes her head, biting down on her bottom lip as her vision swims with tears. “You deserve so much more,” She whispers. “But don’t you see? That’s exactly why – the past two years have been a blur, Will. I can’t remember anything about us or our marriage. We hardly ever saw each other, we never went out, and then when... when we started trying, we said we’d make more time, that things would change and we’d build a family we could bring a child into, but that never happened either. And I think it just… it all just became too much. Work just kept getting busier, never easier, and we went from not seeing each other for days to not seeing each other for entire weeks. After a while I decided I’d rather we part on civil terms than wait for us to fall apart completely.”

“I wish you had said something,” Darcy sighs, staring blankly at his hands. He’s still wearing his wedding ring, just as she is. Charlotte was right: they were never done, not really.

“But I did,” Lizzie whispers. “We both did, again and again and again. We made all these plans and promises and none of them ever turned out.” First it was a promise never to spend more than two weeks apart, then plans to Skype every other day, then a month-long trip _just this once_ and _can we Skype over the weekend I’m too tired tonight_ and eventually… eventually there was just nothing.

“Where do we go from here?” Darcy asks, meeting her with earnest, scared eyes.

She feels it too – the desperation, the sense of loss, the frustration at her utter inability to figure this out no matter how much she wants to. “I don’t know. All I know for sure is that… _God_ , I hate living alone, Will. I hate not having you there, even if it’s just one day a week. I hate not seeing your toothbrush next to mine in the morning, and I hate coming home to an empty house every damn day, and I just… I really, really hate living without you,” Lizzie finishes weakly, her voice faltering when Darcy reaches for her hand.

“I never wanted a divorce,” He tells her quietly, fiddling with her ring. “I was willing to do anything _except_ that. But I didn’t want you to feel trapped. I wasn’t going to force you to stay in a marriage you no longer wanted to be a part of.”

Lizzie lets her head fall forward. “That was never the issue,” She says, voice muffled by his chest. “I wanted our marriage to work. I still do.”

Darcy’s hands wind around her waist to pull her closer, and when she feels his fingers card through her hair she can’t help the sob that tears past her throat at the familiar, comforting gesture.

“So do I,” He murmurs, lips brushing against her temple.

Neither of them wanted a divorce. Neither of them have been okay. God, they really do need to get better at communicating. She’s reminded of their past, of the first time they finally figured everything out. “For two such smart people,” Lizzie pulls away and gives Darcy a small smile. “We certainly _still_ act like idiots, don’t we?”

It’s been seven years since she first said that to him, seven years of obstacles and challenges and meddling, disapproving family members that they’ve overcome together. Why should this be any different?

Darcy smiles back at her. “We should really do something about that.”

“Well, this worked once before so,” Lizzie takes a deep breath and frames his face in her hands. “William Darcy, I don’t want us to break up, and I don’t want us to get a divorce. I want us to figure this out together, and I want to be your wife until the day I die.” She moves closer, so close their noses brush in an Eskimo kiss. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Darcy says, and somehow he manages to kiss her despite the ear-splitting grins on both of their faces.

It takes Lizzie a while to come back to her senses, and when she does she finds herself in her husband’s lap with his hands under her shirt. “Just a sec,” She mutters when they separate for air, curling one hand around Darcy’s shoulder for support as she leans forward.

She can’t bring her eyes to meet the silent, judgmental camera as she turns it off, but her smile tells the viewers everything they need to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now all that's left is the epilogue.
> 
> I can't believe we're almost at the end. I hope this chapter answered most of your questions, and that I've done justice to the big Reunion we've all been waiting for. 
> 
> I'm saving the weepy thank-you for the epilogue so for now... thanks for reading, know that you guys are the reason this story has gotten this far, and I'll see you in the comments!


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last - the end.

“You know, you guys really do seem to have a knack for helping me figure things out. Six weeks ago my life was falling apart, and now everything is magically okay again. The company is doing great – welcome to my new office in Pemberley Digital, by the way – and I’m really excited to get to work on this new consultancy-slash-partnership. For those of you who’ve been asking, my mom is doing well and she says thank you so much for all of your _kind thoughts and prayers_. And as for that other thing… would you like to do the honors, Mr. Darcy?”

          “It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Darcy. My name is William Darcy, and I plan to stay married to this extraordinary woman for the rest of my life.”

“Aww, you.”

 

 

 

“Hey, lovebirds! If you’re done staring longingly into each other’s eyes, the rest of us would like some camera time too,” Fitz calls out teasingly from where he’s appeared in the doorway, a grinning Gigi by his side.

“Gigi!” Lizzie gasps, waving her friends into the room. “When did you get here? I thought you weren’t coming back until next week!”

It’s a bit of a tight fit, having the four of them in the same shot, and Lizzie finds herself practically in Darcy’s lap by the time everyone’s settled down, with Gigi in the middle and a preening Fitz on the other end of the bench.

“I can’t believe it’s taken you _six_ weeks to give the people what they want,” He shakes his head at Lizzie and throws in a mock scowl for good measure. “But worry not, my loyal fans,” Fitz announces as he turns to address the camera, “for I have returned!”

Lizzie laughs and leans into Darcy, who’s shaking with laughter of his own at his friend’s antics. “I hope you’re all happy now,” She tells her audience. “I must’ve gotten at least a hundred comments asking about Fitz. Well,” She gestures at the man in question, who’s definitely way too close to the camera – possibly even blocking the rest of them from sight. “Here he is.”

“And because I am, as many of you have rightfully pointed out,” Fitz adds with a grin, “ _the best_ , I brought a little gift along with me.” He presents Gigi to the camera with a flourish of his hands, and the younger Darcy flushes at the fanfare and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Fitz and William told me it’s your first day here,” She answers Lizzie’s earlier question, “and I didn’t want to miss out on the welcome party. And Fitz said something about this being my last chance to appear on the show?”

Lizzie tenses in Darcy’s arms and turns to her viewers with a sheepish smile. “Yeah… about that.”

“You haven’t announced it?” Fitz asks incredulously.

“You didn’t exactly give her the chance to,” Darcy points out, his hands squeezing her sides as a gesture of comfort.

Gigi’s eyes grow wide and her hands, previously folded primly over her lap, begin to fidget. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Lizzie, I didn’t mean to–”

“It’s okay,” Lizzie hurries to assure the younger girl, setting a hand over Gigi’s to still her nervous movements. “I don’t know how I would’ve brought it up otherwise, anyway. So, as you’ve probably figured out,” She tells the camera with a reluctant smile, “this is going to be my last vlog… for now.”

Darcy pulls her closer, Gigi rests her head on Lizzie’s shoulder, and Fitz does his best to reach out for a hug. “Guys,” Lizzie protests with a laugh as her eyes start to tear up, “I’m okay. Really. It’s not goodbye forever. If this experience has taught me anything, it’s that I can’t deny who I am. I’ve tried for years to ignore this part of me, to focus on nurturing everyone else’s talents instead of my own. But the fact is that I’m a storyteller too, and all storytellers love their audience. I could never leave this–” She points at her camera, her viewers, her support system, “-behind, not really. So!” Lizzie straightens her shoulders and looks directly at her viewers, giving them a resolute nod. “This is goodbye, but _not_ for good.”

“Especially not if I have anything to say about it,” Fitz tells her. “Darcy here might’ve recruited you for behind-the-scenes stuff only, but as your partner-slash-boss I’m gonna get you in front of a camera as often as I can, Lizzie B. Gotta give the people what they want, after all,” He gives the audience an exaggerated, slow-motion wink.

Gigi shakes her head at Fitz, her eyes shining with fondness. “Any idea when you’ll be back?” She ask Lizzie gently, with no hint of expectation or impatience in her voice.

“Who knows,” Lizzie shrugs, absent-mindedly slipping one hand into Darcy’s and smiling at the little squeeze he gives her. “The next time things go to shit, probably – not that I’m expecting that to happen again any time soon,” She adds quickly, turning wide, slightly panicked eyes to the camera. “Like I said earlier, you guys just have this uncanny ability to help me get my life together. I’ll probably pop up every once in a while, begging for help with one thing or another.”

“I’m sure your viewers will be happy to see you again,” Darcy says, and she turns around slightly in his arms to share a smile with him. “Even if you _are_ only posting again to use them for their problem-solving skills,” He adds with a shrug, voice deliberately blasé in that teasing way of his, eyes bright with humor as the slightest hint of a smirk tugs at his lips.

 _Months_ , Lizzie thinks to herself. She’d gone months without this, without him teasing her and holding her; the thought that she’d nearly robbed herself of this for the rest of her life is a horrifying one that she chooses not to contemplate right now. “Hey!” She cries indignantly instead, swatting at his arm. “I’ll have you know that I think of my loyal viewers as more than just problem solvers. We have a special connection, the kind that can only be forged by a spectacularly one-sided interaction such as this one.”

“Well, would you like a minute alone with your _special connections_ before we head off for lunch?” Fitz pipes up with a smirk on his face.

“Actually,” Lizzie pretends to consider the matter for a moment. “Yeah, I would. So shoo! Away with all of you vlog-crashers,” She waves them away with a grin, sliding off Darcy’s lap as soon as Gigi vacates her seat.

“You can’t chase a star off camera,” Fitz huffs at her before he turns to the audience and waves goodbye. “Worry not, my adoring admirers. I’ll be back soon!”

Gigi gives the camera a little wave of her own and a tiny smile. “See you guys around,” She says in that bright, bubbly way of hers before she makes her way after Fitz and closes the door behind her.

Lizzie turns to her husband. “And then there were two.”

“Do you want me here?” Darcy asks quietly. “I can leave if you’d prefer–”

“No, stay,” She reaches out and takes his hand even though he’s made no move to leave. “I wanna do this together. It just feels right, you know?”

Darcy smiles at her, a small, intimate thing. “All right, then,” He raises their joined hands and presses a kiss to her knuckles. “Together, Lizzie Bennet.”

“Always, William Darcy,” She whispers, allowing a beat to pass before she turns back to the camera. “So, this is it for now, friends. In case none of this–” She waves her free hand about to indicate the two of them and their general ‘mushiness’, as Lydia likes to call it, “-was clear enough, Darcy and I are definitely back together. Hopefully we’ve learned from our mistakes–”

“I know I most definitely have,” Darcy cuts in, a rare case of him doing so. “I’m never letting you go again, not without a fight.”

“Good,” Lizzie smiles at him, camera and the rest of the world forgotten for a brief moment. “And now that we’ve figured out where we went wrong in the first place, it should be easier this time around. Hopefully. We’re gonna be okay,” She tells her viewers, moving closer to lean against Darcy. “And that’s all thanks to you guys. You reminded me of what’s really important, of what I was about to walk away from. Your comments and tweets and okay, fine, even your aggressive use of quotes from our past interactions,” She adds with a laugh, “really did help. And for that, I – _we_ – can never thank you enough. Truly.”

Darcy tugs his hand free to wrap an arm around her waist and draw her closer. “I echo Lizzie’s sentiments wholeheartedly. Thank you.”

To her slight horror, Lizzie hears herself sniffling. “Wow, this is getting way more emotional than I wanted it to be,” She waves off Darcy’s murmured concern and brushes away a stray tear. “I think that’s enough for now.”

Lizzie smiles at the camera, her vision swimming with tears. Second time around and it still feels like the end of a chapter, like leaving behind a part of your life you’ll only ever get to revisit in memories.

“I’m Lizzie Bennet, and thank you all so, so much for always being there for me. Goodbye for now, but not forever,” She promises her viewers before she waves them goodbye.

A good ten seconds later, she sighs and sags against Darcy. “Are you okay?” He asks quietly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She thinks of where she was six weeks ago, and thinks of where she is now: here, in her husband’s arms, in Pemberley Digital for her first day on a job that’ll keep her company more than just afloat for the foreseeable future. Her mom is safe and sound and healthy, as is her father. Jane and Bing and their little brood of Bennet-Lees are happy as can be. Lydia and Gigi are going out on their first date later this week.

“Yeah,” Lizzie gets to her feet and holds out her hand. “Yeah, I’m great.”

Darcy takes her hand, and together they walk off-camera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This has been... a bit of a disaster, quite honestly, but I wouldn't trade any of it for the world (except maybe the ridiculously long wait in between chapters. Holy crap, did it really take me SIX MONTHS to finish this???).
> 
> If any of you are still here, thank you for sticking by this story even when it must've seemed utterly abandoned. To everyone who's ever read this little thing, even if you wandered off sometime mid-hiatus and never find your way back: thank you so, so much for giving this story a chance, for taking the time to read it, for leaving such lovely and encouraging words.
> 
> I'll be back at some point with a canon-divergent one-shot set during the Pemberley arc but until then: goodbye, friends. And again, thank you all so much for everything.


End file.
